YES Committee

The YES management committee, elected annually in September, comprises of the following members

BUSINESS

Caroline Jenkins is the Corporate Campaigns Manager for Vibrant Partnership, in partnership with Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Previously Caroline was the Director of Sales at the Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel with 17 yrs hospitality experience, starting her career as a Food and Beverage associate and working her way to part of the Hotel leadership team. Caroline is very grateful of the support and guidance she has personally received throughout her career and is therefore very passionate to ensure that young people gain the same support.

Michele Mooreis the Community Champion at Tesco, Waltham Abbey. Michele’s position in Tesco enables her to reach out to many local community groups to offer practical help and support. As well as organising fundraising events for charities and educational visits for local schools She also works alongside work experience students from local secondary schools who secure positions at her store.Michele has been part of the YES Partnership from the outset and is committed to helping YES continue to support our young people to reach their full potential.

EM Skills is a highly-regarded specialist English and maths training provider which specialises in supporting learners 15+ in Functional Skills, employability and customer service skills. They have expertise in qualification design and assessment and offer training and educational consultancy. Helen leads on new business and bid development, qualification design, assessment, training and consultancy.

Stephanie Hensman is a Community Engagement Manager for Willmott Dixon. She works with multiple organisations across London and the East of England with a focus on improving outcomes for young people. Steph attended King Harold School and EFC and would have fallen into the target demographic for YES Partnership. This understanding, drives her commitment to the YES Partnership aims. With a love of lifelong learning, Steph has a CIM Diploma in Marketing and has also studied CBT, Counselling of Adolescents and is currently learning British Sign Language.

Clive Snell is retired, having worked for Lloyds Bank as a Regional Manager, looking after the Retail Insurance Business in the area covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, East and North London. He worked with a large number of young people in the Bank and was heavily involved in the recruitment process so he understands the requirements of prospective employers. His decision to join YES fits in well with the Bank's aim to help Britain to prosper and helping local youth to attain their full potential.

John Price is the Chairman of the Epping Forest Chamber of Commerce and a local business man. He was instrumental in forming the Epping Forest Youth Chamber of Commerce in 2012. He is a skilled photographer and video producer having run a studio in London for 30 years. He now works on local projects, particularly environmental and community projects which he does as an active member of A Vision of Britain CIC a health and well-being social enterprise. He is a board member of the Local Strategic Partnership and The West Essex Alliance.

Paul Violet Paul's main businesses are Finance Confidential (Private Investments) and also Business Development Therapy (Solving Business Issues). He is also the local leader of Link4Growth, which is a national, but locally based organisation bringing together business and the community at large. The Link4Growth community facilitates and encourages communities to develop and flourish and that includes absorbing young people from the community into the workplace, thus Paul's involvement with YES Partnership committee.

EDUCATION

Jaci Hammondworks with the King Harold Business and Enterprise Academy and Debden Park High School as a qualified Careers Advisor. She has considerable experience of working with employers and Further Education providers and she, and the schools where she works, have well developed links with the communities that they serve. Jaci has been involved with the YES Partnership project from the start and has been a key player in developing the programme and ensuring students benefit fully from the opportunities the conferences offer.

Jill Nathan's background is in business training and further education and experience as a lecturer and educational manager. She is in charge of business development and the GAP project at Epping Forest College, developing relationships with employers and the local community to create opportunities for students and businesses alike. She brings a wealth of experience in developing employability plus a working knowledge of the pathways open to young people including apprenticeships.

Paula Violet has recently retired from teaching a career having enjoyed it for many years. She taught in Secondary education with students from the age of 11 –18.years. During her career she also worked as an Advisory teacher visiting all Secondary schools in her Local Authority giving support, advice and training to their staff. As an Associate Head Teacher Paula had whole school responsibility for the training and development of Staff. This involved the training of both trainee teachers and those newly qualified.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Gill Wallis is the Community, Health & Wellbeing Manager at Epping Forest District Council. Her role includes representing the Council on a number of multi-agency groups including the West Essex Children`s Partnership Board, Epping Forest Youth Strategy Group and Think Family Forum. Gill set up the first ever Epping Forest Youth Council 10 years ago and her team leads on educational programmes for children and young people in the district including; Crucial Crew, Reality Roadshow and MiLife which is an adolescent mental health and wellbeing project delivered in partnership with the NHS.

John Houston is currently leading the work of One Epping Forest, our local strategic partnership. This involves all the major public services locally, councils, fire and rescue, the regional park and the Corporation of London, together with local business groups and community organisations. Its job is to identify local problems and opportunities and make sure we work together to respond. In the past the partnership has delivered the Future Jobs scheme across west Essex securing a million pound grant to give 18 young people six months employment.

Quentin Buller has a background in marketing and communications, both commercially and with children’s charities. He has most recently worked as Head of Partnership Services at Epping Forest College. His role included representing the college on the local strategic partnership, the West Essex Enterprise Group and the West Essex Alliance. Involved in the creation of a West Essex skills and training plan, Quentin is currently promoting Epping Forest district as a tourism venue and, within YES, is a vital contributor who is passionate about creating opportunities for young people.

Liz Hand is the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions), Relationship Manager for Harlow, Braintree and Witham. Her responsibilities include building and managing effective relationships with training providers and employers to identify and address skills gaps and help local people into employment. Her experience and understanding of the world of work and her experience and commitment has been invaluable to the YES Partnership committee as its programme has grown across the district working with young people.

Holly Whitbread is a District Councillor in Epping Forest. She sits on a number of committees including the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Communities Select Committee. She has a keen interest in neighbourhoods, particularly strategic planning, and finance. Holly is also been a Town Councillor in Epping since 2015, where she Chairs a committee looking at the issues of anti- social behaviour and youth engagement. This group brings together key stakeholders from across the local community, including the police, local schools and youth groups.

Aniket Patel Wording and photo to go here.

LOCAL RESIDENTS

Pesh Kapiaswala started his early career in Management Consultancy followed by a successful 25+ years in Property Services. Trustee and Treasurer of YES, Secretary of Epping Forest Chamber of Commerce, Past President of Rotary Club, trustee of Grange Farm Trust, trustee of Loughton Club. Committee member of Epping Forest Dementia Action Alliance, Voluntary Action Epping Forest & EF CAB.

YOUTH ORGANISATIONS

Nick Robinson, Deputy Chairman of YES, with responsibility for "Youth and Youth Outreach" is the Manager of Loughton Youth Project (LYP); a charity set up to support the personal development of young people aged 13-19. He is also a career coach for those aged 16-24 who are unemployed, through a programme he has initiated with Job Centre Plus called 'YES Plus'. With a background in the Music and Radio industries, Nick has developed 'LYP Radio', a 24 hour internet radio station, run by young people and promoting their activities.